Ireland is different from almost all European Union countries in banning all abortions, without any legislated exceptions, even for threats to a pregnant woman's life.
Both the Supreme Court of Ireland, in 1992, and the European Court of Human Rights, in 2010, have ruled that the Irish government must create, through legislation, a 'life' exception to the general abortion ban-- but they have not done it.
It is interesting to me how the legal dynamics are different than in the U.S. In the United States, a Supreme Court ruling that there is an exception to X law would essentially legally create that exception-- i.e., prosecutors would not be able to pursue legal charges, assuming a person's behavior fell under that exception. It appears that, in Ireland, the exception does not exist until it is legislated (if you know more about the Irish legal context and can shed some light on this, please leave a comment).
Irish women who want an abortion generally travel to the UK to obtain one-- if they can afford it, of course. Assuming that a life exception is eventually created, I wonder where those abortions would be performed within the country and who would perform them. One of the things the American experience with abortion teaches is that legalization does not equal easy access.
Links:
Washington Post article on the contemporary debate: Abortion debate again divides Ireland
Wikipedia article: Attorney General v. X (1992)
Wikipedia article: Case of A, B, and C v. Ireland (2010)
Supreme Court of Ireland opinion: The Attorney General v. X (1992)
European Court of Human Rights opinion: Case of A, B, and C v. Ireland (2010)
Both the Supreme Court of Ireland, in 1992, and the European Court of Human Rights, in 2010, have ruled that the Irish government must create, through legislation, a 'life' exception to the general abortion ban-- but they have not done it.
It is interesting to me how the legal dynamics are different than in the U.S. In the United States, a Supreme Court ruling that there is an exception to X law would essentially legally create that exception-- i.e., prosecutors would not be able to pursue legal charges, assuming a person's behavior fell under that exception. It appears that, in Ireland, the exception does not exist until it is legislated (if you know more about the Irish legal context and can shed some light on this, please leave a comment).
Irish women who want an abortion generally travel to the UK to obtain one-- if they can afford it, of course. Assuming that a life exception is eventually created, I wonder where those abortions would be performed within the country and who would perform them. One of the things the American experience with abortion teaches is that legalization does not equal easy access.
Links:
Washington Post article on the contemporary debate: Abortion debate again divides Ireland
Wikipedia article: Attorney General v. X (1992)
Wikipedia article: Case of A, B, and C v. Ireland (2010)
Supreme Court of Ireland opinion: The Attorney General v. X (1992)
European Court of Human Rights opinion: Case of A, B, and C v. Ireland (2010)
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